VIN plates & M plates. What use are they?

The chap I sold my bay to had it stolen last week from his drive. The plod recovered it from a field a few days later but minus the two plates from the rear seatbacks so i'm guessing that'd be the M plate & the VIN plate from memory. What would the theving scum want these for as the VIN is registered with the DVLA (my first thought was for a ringer) Sadly, the wiring is a mess under the dash and there's some damage to a quarter panel light.
I'm baffled and sad too.

 

Did they take the numberplates or leave them?

 

was the van pre jan 73...........

 

Sounds to me like they removed its id and have left it to see if it gets found / recovered thus determining if it has a tracker fitted, you would not steel a bus for the id as that's the bit that identifies that its stolen...

It saddens & worries me that people are steeling our wonderful buses for financial gain but also happy that it was recovered before the scumbags had time to ring it and sell it on to some poor unsuspecting sole...

 

good point robo! I think you're right there.

 

This was my thought hence asking if they took the numberplates

 

VZI Link please

 

They took the numberplates aswell and theres no vin number in the engine bay
They have done it to hide the identity if the identity cant be proven it cant be proven its stolen

I think that whilst my bus is stripped bare im going to add the vin number and numberplate number along with my name In lots of very hidden places

 

Yes, forgot to mention they took the plates as well. I've pm'd him on vzi that i'd be willing to sign a statement to the plod that I sold it to him. He hasn't replied as yet. Very sad.

 

Poor fella

 

If I remember rightly, it was about mid Jan 73 so now, it'd be tax exempt.

 

as long as the dvla/plod don't go all anal with the rules it should be fairly easy to prove it was his - I've only known my bus for 2 years but there are parts that I know of that nobody else would ever know etc etc, if this van was low n slows old one there's gonna be plenty of pointers to tie it up as the one.

 

Yes, like my elephant memory for number plates. I can not only remember all my old cars/bikes but some of my dads as well. If I ever see the plates on another van they're screwed. Don't help the chap that's van it is now though. I hope he gets it sorted.

 

I've had over 50 vehicles and I could probably remember 45 plates........ still remember a couple of my dad's plates and some of my granddads too and my dad left when I was 15 and my granddads been dead 25 years as well ....... you never know if you'll need this info - I get all excited when I pass a car I used to own.

 

There will be a set of plates from a scrap or rotten van ready to go on the stolen one

Its been left to see if its located by tracker
If it hadent been found within a week or so it would have been picked back up maybe painted and then had the scrap/rotten bus identity put onto it
Sent for mot then up for sale

By this point its a fully legal bus as far as the authoritys can tell

 

^ yep, this.

 

Just a thought but was the reg number or chassis number etched into the glass at all?